North Korea Loses Interest

From the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

North Korea has cast doubt on its participation in a new round of talks on the nuclear crisis and accused the United States of using the negotiations as pretext to disarm the country.

"We have not promised anything on the next round of six-nation talks," a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman told North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) monitored by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

The spokesman said North Korea had lost interest in the six-way talks to broker a solution to a year-long stand-off over North Korea's nuclear weapons programs.

North Korea blamed US hostility for the lack of concrete progress during the first round of six-nation talks, which also included China, Japan, Russia and South Korea, in Beijing last month.

It says the talks were "useless" and said it had no interest in further meetings.

The talks ended without a tangible agreement, with the delegates agreeing to meet again but they failed to fix a date.

Randinho's Latin America Briefing: Sept 29/03

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. This Regional Briefing focuses on Latin America, courtesy of Randy Paul of Beautiful Horizons. As you'll see below, things are heating up in some of these countries - esp. Venezuela and Colombia.

TOP TOPICS

• The Venezuelan Electoral Council rejects the Chavez recall signatures, while Chavez himself continues to unravel and the opposition girds for another recall effort.

• JK: Brazilian police have arrested an "important member" of Colombia's biggest guerrilla group (FARC) who was involved in a major drug-trafficking operation in Brazil, as well as an alleged accomplice who may be Canadian. The Brazilians have concluded that FARC is probably trying to revive the Cali Drug Cartel.

Today's Topics Include: More Chavez irrationality; 11,000 child soldiers in Colombia; Colombia President Uribe's amnesty; Washington's divided response; OV-10 plane downed near Venezuelan border; British hostage's tale of escape; Lula's Brazil sells out, embraces Cuba; Bolivia cutting of its wallet to spite its neighbour.

read the rest! »
 

North Korea calls Rumsfeld a psychopath

Salon.com  Full story »»

North Korea called U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld a "psychopath" and a "stupid man" on Saturday, denouncing him for predicting that the country's isolated communist regime will one day fall.

Winds Roadmap Roundup: Sept 23/03

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. This Regional Briefing focuses on Israel & its neighbours. N.B. We're seeking candidates to handle this briefing in future. Email joe, at windsofchange.net.

TOP TOPIC:

• Daniel Pipes looks at Oslo. He asks: "What went wrong?" Then he answers the question.

Other Topics Today Include: Israeli conclusions; Gaza gambits; The fence; Media bias; The PA's efforts; $900 million embezzlement; Abu-Bakr chastises his colleagues; Syrian & Lebanese reforms; Israeli mangoes, beer in Arab countries; Interfaith marriages in Israel; Jews & Indians in America; Jews & Democrats.

read the rest! »

Iranians Yearn For American Intervention

Here is the story:

I found the people to be social in Iran, in a way that we are not social in the West. Strangers would actually have meaningful conversations with each other and it gave me a lot of insight into to attitudes of the population. This happened several times when I was traveling with Mr. Azarian in cabs in Tehran.

The first time it happened was most memorable. We were in the back of a cab and Mr. Azarian and the driver were engaged in some light political conversation. The passenger in the front quickly and vehemently interjected, flashed an ID card, and went into a tirade, which made me think he was some sort of government official who did not like what he had heard. He went on for quite some time, and he was very irate.

I was not sure what to do, and since I couldn't understand him I wasn't sure if I was reading the situation correctly. I thought maybe I should just ignore him, not give him the satisfaction of an audience. I also thought maybe I should stare him in the eye to let him know he could rant on but I wasn't intimidated by his status. It was actually a little unsettling because of the uncertainty of the situation.

In the end I just tried to absorb the situation and try to read as much as I could about it. I found out later, when he left the car, that he was a government official working in intelligence for the national broadcasting company. But he was not complaining about the conversation in the car, he was the one complaining about the government. His frustration was to the point where he was almost losing control, he needed to vent or he would burst.

Many of the people in the cabs in Tehran had the similar thoughts. "Tell George Bush to come and get rid of the mullahs for us." I was shocked by the openness of that statement. With one fellow I tried to discuss it with him in more detail to see if he really meant it or was just talking. I told him that if George Bush came and got rid of the Mullahs, it would not be to help the people of Iran; he would be coming for the oil. The fellow replied, "He can have the oil, its not doing us any good anyway and at least then we would be free."

[. . .]

I sensed a strong identity with America from many of the people. I think this is because of the success and power of America, and also because of the feeling that in America anyone who wants to work hard can be personally successful, which is a value that they respect. I think many people in Iran feel that their country could and would achieve the same success if not for the leadership of the clerics.

This insight into the way the Iranian people think gave me a new perspective on the foreign policy of the USA. Think about it like this. Let's say that over 50% of the people in Iran would like to get rid of their government of mullahs (I believe the number would really be over 90%). In a democratic system, with over 50% wanting something they would get it. So if an outside influence (USA) helped them get what they want, isn't the outside influence doing the democratic thing?

(Also posted on my blog. Link originally via Tim Blair.)

The European Union and Iran

Here is one story:

WHEN confronted with difficult questions about its nuclear programme, Iran's strategy has been to play for time. That approach backfired badly last week when the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) expressed its collective exasperation with Iran's evasive attitude. Instead of buying more time, Iran now faces a deadline of October 31st to dispel doubts about its nuclear ambitions.

When the 34 other members of the IAEA's governing board adopted a strongly-worded resolution, Iran's representative, Ali Akbar Salehi, walked out of the proceedings in anger. He should not have been surprised. Concern over Iran's nuclear activities has been mounting on both sides of the Atlantic. France and Germany share American suspicions about the nature of Iran's programme, and the European Union has presented a united front to the government in Tehran. But Iran mistakenly pinned its hopes on non-aligned governments blocking an American-backed resolution.

The result was a diplomatic disaster for a country that has made a priority of courting Europe as a buffer against America. Muhammad Khatami's reformist government counted the improved relations with European governments as one of its few successes. But the nuclear issue has exposed the limits of its authority.

And here is another:

Britain, France and Germany have sent a letter to Iran to resolve the stalemate over inspections of an alleged nuclear arms program, raising US concern of a split in the Western front on this issue, according to officials in Paris and Vienna.

In Paris, the French foreign ministry confirmed the sending of the letter in August but denied that it offered a deal with Tehran.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Herve Ladsous said the three European states had called on Iran to make a "strong gesture" by signing an additional protocol to allow surprise visits to suspect sites by international inspectors.

In Vienna, a diplomatic source at a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told AFP however that the letter had proposed increased cooperation, without providing further details.

(Also posted on my blog.)

Meeting the North Korean Nuclear Challenge

Already a few month old, but still interesting reading material: this Independent Task Force Report published by the Council on Foreign Relations

China sends troops to DPRK border

NYT/Yahoo

Chinese foreign ministry officials confirmed in a statement issued this afternoon that troops from the People's Liberation Army had replaced police along the border, though they did not confirm Hong Kong news reports that the move involved as many as 150,000 soldiers. The move marks a subtle but significant change in relations between the two Communist states, which fought together against the United States in the Korean War and still have a mutual defense treaty. While Chinese officials described the new border arrangements as a routine adjustment, it comes at a time when Beijing has exerted fresh pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program

Full story »»

DPRK says naval exercises 'prelude to nuclear war'

ABCNewws

North Korea has warned it will take what it calls "merciless retaliatory measures" if the United States and its allies proceed with plans to intercept suspicious ships in international waters.

Full story »»

Hushoor's Korea Briefing: Sept 16/03

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. This Regional Briefing focuses on Korea, courtesy of Robert Koehler of the Marmot's Hole.

TOP TOPICS

• Make sure to read Tacitus's post on Kang Chol-Hwan's book "The Aquariums of Pyongyang" - it's absolutely amazing, & completely horrifying. Seeing Eye Blog's post on German North Korean human rights activist Norbert Vollertsen is equally noteworthy.

• The 6-party talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis in Beijing came and went, and the best that can be said is no one killed each other. The talks ended without a joint statement, with each participant putting their own unique spin on things - the US trying the positive approach, the Chinese blaming the Americans for their inflexibility, and the North Koreans declaring their intention to reject any future talks. There's more inside...

Other Topics Today Include: 2 great Korea blogs; The Beijing talks in depth; Chinese getting impatient; Opinions on how to deal with North Korea; ROK army to Iraq (maybe); Nukes; Various items on South Korean politics; Suicide in Cancun; Norkbot cheerleader temptresses, American POWs; and so much more!

read the rest! »

DPRK Throws another Hissy Fit

This time with a little justification. From the Telegraph :

The first exercise of a new security alliance, including Britain, intended to intercept weapons of mass destruction on the high seas was attacked as a "US provocation" by North Korea yesterday.

Exercise Pacific Protector culminated in a two-and-a-half-hour chase across the Coral Sea, east of Australia, and the capture of a United States naval vessel masquerading as a freighter carrying chemical weapons.

Ten armed and masked men from the Japanese coastguard slipped down a rope from a helicopter on to the deck of the US navy support ship Private Franklin J Phillips.

They were helped, watched and monitored by their coastguard ship Shikishima, vessels from the American and Australian navies and a French marine patrol aircraft.

The exercise was the first trial of the Proliferation Security Initiative, an agreement between Japan, America, Australia and seven other countries to establish a security cordon against shipments of weapons of mass destruction and drugs.

[..]

Spokesmen for the alliance said the exercise was not specifically aiming at the dictatorship of Kim Jong-il, but North Korea's official media reacted angrily.

To say that the exercise wasn't specifically aimed at North Korea is a half-truth at best. Yes, it's aimed at any nation that exports weapons of mass destruction and drugs. But according to the North Koreans themselves, that means North Korea... Well, if the shoe fits....

Russia Backs Nuclear Watchdog Group on Issue of Iranian Nuclear Program

The story can be found here:

Russia gave explicit public backing on Saturday to a U.N. watchdog's resolution which has given Iran seven weeks in which to let the atomic agency verify it has no secret nuclear weapons program.

The clear words from a country that had been seen as trying to counter American pressure on Iran will not be welcomed by Tehran, which says the setting of the October 31 deadline is proof it is the next target of a U.S. invasion.

Following intense U.S. pressure for action against Iran, the 35-nation governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution on Friday demanding Iran answer many outstanding questions about its nuclear program.

The resolution implies that if the IAEA still has doubts about Iran's atomic program in November, its board might declare Iran in breach of international obligations and report it to the U.N. Security Council for possible economic sanctions.

(Also posted on my blog.)

AfricaPundit's Briefing: Sept. 12/03

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. This Regional Briefing focuses on Africa, courtesy of AfricaPundit.

TOP TOPIC

• JK: A Cry from Zimbabwe.

• An interesting article from the Globe and Mail notes that the African continent - from Djibouti to Mauritania - is central to the war on terror.

Other Topics Today Include: Ugandan front; Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi; French quagmire in Ivory Coast; Djibouti expelling 100,000 illegals; Rwanda & Zimbabwe hold elections; Zimbabwe reports; Real progress in African game conservation; Can Nigerian even peace-keep itself?; Liberian 'peace agreement'; Colonialism & trusteeship; WTO trade talks.

read the rest! »
 
 

Israel Says Arafat Will Be Removed

VOA News:

The Israeli security cabinet has declared Yasser Arafat an obstacle to peace and says Israel will act to remove him. A cabinet statement said the government would decide later how and when to act against the Palestinian president.

Click for full article..

( Related comments at my blog )

Israel Asks Army to Draw Up Arafat Expulsion Plan

From Reuters:

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's security cabinet agreed in principle Thursday that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat should be exiled but opted against any move to expel him immediately, sources close to the government said.

One source said the security cabinet decided to ask the army to prepare a plan for Arafat's exile from the region but decided against immediate expulsion because of U.S. opposition.

Iran Accused of Violating Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

The story is here:

The United States accused Iran on Tuesday of violating the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty but said Tehran had "a last chance" to prove it wasn't running a covert weapons program.

Backed by key allies, chief U.S. delegate Kenneth Brill took Iran to task on the basis of a report outlining discrepancies between its past statements on its nuclear program and findings by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The report, by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, lists the discovery of weapons-grade enriched uranium and other evidence that critics say point to a weapons program.

"The United States believes the facts already established would fully justify an immediate finding of noncompliance by Iran," Brill said at a meeting of the agency's board. Still, he said, the Americans were ready to give "Iran a last chance to drop its evasions" before pushing for punitive action.

The United States accuses Iran of working on a secret nuclear weapons program. Tentative plans to come down hard on Iran at the board meeting were dropped last week after the Bush administration decided it wouldn't find enough support at the conference.

The U.S. delegation had been pushing for a resolution finding Iran in noncompliance a conclusion that would have brought the matter before the Security Council, which in turn could have called for sanctions.

(Also posted on my blog.)

Shots fired near British embassy in Tehran

LONDON (AP) -- Shots were fired near the British embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran for the second time in a week early Tuesday morning, the Foreign Office said.

Three or four shots were fired at or close to the building, but no one was wounded and it was unclear whether the embassy was hit. The shots were fired from the street at 12.55 a.m. local time and several people witnessed the incident, the Foreign Office said, without giving further details.

It added that the embassy was "carrying out limited functions. ... We're taking it seriously as an incident."

More from NJ.com....

Peacekeepers make first major push into Liberia's strife-torn interior

CAREYSBURG, Liberia (AP) -- West African peacekeepers took a crucial step toward securing Liberia's peace Tuesday, making their first major move into the volatile countryside and brokering a cease-fire to end the latest battle between rebels and government troops.

Fighting erupted early Tuesday when rebels attacked and overran Kakata, 40 miles northeast of Monrovia, said Col. Theophilus Tawiah of Ghana, the peace force's chief of staff.

About 650 soldiers from Guinea-Bissau arrived just outside Kakata as the two sides traded fire. The contingent's Nigerian operations chief and a senior commander from Guinea-Bissau then met with leaders in the clash, negotiating an end to the battle.

More from NJ.com...

Iran faces October deadline

The UN's nuclear watchdog is considering setting a deadline for Iran to fully comply with its obligations under the international nuclear non-proliferation treaty NPT.

A draft resolution - drawn up by Britain, France and Germany - is being considered by the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at a special meeting in Vienna.

It says Iran should "remedy all failures identified by the agency" and "co-operate fully with the [the IAEA] to ensure verification of compliance with Iran's Safeguards Agreement by taking all necessary actions by the end of October 2003".

More from BBC...

Iran Update: Sept. 9/03

Winds of Change.NET Regional Briefings run on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, and sometimes Fridays too. This Regional Briefing focuses on Iran.

Top Topic

* As Dan's Iran Report noted recently, there are reports Iran has chosen Muqtada al-Sadr to lead the Iraqi Hezbollah. Put this together with Dan's link claiming that Imad Mugniyeh has arrived in Iraq to assist the Iranian designs in the country, and a Washington Post story that points toward Iran as the launching point for al-Qaeda's operations in Iraq. Clearly, what we have here is a full-scale proxy war between Iran and the USA in Iraq.

Other Topics Today Include: Nuclear program updates; Iran's dissidents imprisoned, murdered; Pedram's personal 1988 nightmare; Democracy, Islam, argument style, and war; Steppenwolf's blogging satori; Lawyer claims Zahra Kazemi was raped & tortured; Canada does nothing; The Left and Iran; Where are you from?

read the rest! »

Sources: Marines who were in Liberia contract malaria

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Twelve U.S. Marines who were in Liberia last month in support of a West African peacekeeping mission have contracted malaria and 21 others have symptoms of the disease, defense officials said Monday.

Two of the Marines were flown from the USS Iwo Jima warship off the coast of Liberia to a U.S. medical center in Germany on Saturday and 31 others were flown from the ship Sunday to the Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Marines, members of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were in Liberia in mid-August as part of a U.S. quick-reaction force of about 150 U.S. troops. They operated from an airport outside Monrovia, the capital.

More from CNN...

Iran plans terror fund freeze

Iran has announced plans for legislation to let it freeze terrorist-linked assets in line with its United Nations responsibilities.

If - as expected - the bill is ratified by parliament and by the hard-line Guardian Council, it will make Iran a member of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, which was created in 1999 and came into force in 2002.

That commits Iran to banning the collecting of money intended to support terrorist actings, and to answering calls by other signatories for help with tracking terror funds.

But while Al-Qaeda will be included on its list of banned organisations, a government spokesman said, Hamas - the Palestinian extremist group banned by the European Union over the weekend - will not.

More from BBC...

Cross-posted to Electric Venom.

Grenade blast in Philippines

From News.com:

A GRENADE exploded in a crowded area near a public market in the southern Philippines late today, killing at least three people and injuring 17 others, police said.

Police superintendent Peraco Macacua said the incident occurred in Cotabato City shortly after 8pm. A couple was seen quarrelling on the street, and the woman was overheard yelling that someone had put a grenade in her bag.

A bystander kicked the bag into the street, where it exploded.

One person died immediately and two died later from their injuries, army Major Julieto Ando said.

The couple managed to dive to safety and were not wounded, Macacua said. The woman was taken into custody and was being questioned.

No word yet on which terrorist group plans to claim responsibility.

U.N. Nuclear Watchdog Chief Leans on Iran

VIENNA, Austria - The U.N. nuclear agency's chief on Monday urged Iran to give a full and detailed explanation of its highly enriched uranium and other evidence that could point to a covert atomic weapons program.

The demand came after Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency warned of "unexpected or surprising consequences" if the agency's board, meeting in Vienna this week, presses too hard to open Iran's nuclear facilities to scrutiny.

In a statement to the 35-nation IAEA board, Mohamed ElBaradei said that although Iran has been showing increased cooperation, his experts still don't have enough information to determine the nature of Tehran's nuclear activities.

More from AP via Yahoo!...

Iran warns that too much pressure to open nuclear facilities to inspectors could backfire

VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- Iran's chief delegate to the U.N. atomic agency warned the United States and other nations ahead of a Monday meeting that nuclear tensions could be aggravated if they put too much pressure on Tehran to open its programs to inspectors.

Ali Akbar Salehi said Iran still was open to negotiating the inspection issue with the International Atomic Energy Agency, but indicated the offer could be withdrawn if IAEA board meeting "disrupted the whole process."

The meeting likely will urge Iran to make its nuclear program accessible by agreeing to a protocol allowing tougher IAEA inspections without notice. Under strong international pressure, Iran last month offered to negotiate the IAEA protocol.

Monday's meeting also will ask Tehran to explain agency findings that the Americans and others say point to the existence of a covert nuclear weapons program.

More from NJ.com...

US offers security to North Korea

The United States has called on North Korea to show that it is willing to end its nuclear program. In return, Washington says, it would be ready to consider giving North Korea security guarantees.

ABC NewsOnline

Abbas Resigns

[Fox News]

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas submitted his resignation to Yasser Arafat on Saturday, Fox News has learned.

Arafat, the Palestinian president, has accepted the terms according to chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

The resignation delivers a critical blow to U.S.-backed efforts in the Mideast, adding more instability to an already ailing "road map" peace plan.

The unpopular Abbas, weakened by a power struggle with Arafat, submitted his resignation in a letter delivered by senior Palestinian officials, according to Erekat.

Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi said she met with Arafat after he received the letter, and that the Palestinian leader said he did not want to make a decision until he had spoken to Abbas in person.

Full story...

Dan's Iran Reports: Sept 4/03

The Winds of War feature over at Winds of Change.NET is designed to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday.

Today we ended up with 2 briefings - so Kate's Winds of War is at Winds of Change.NET, and the other is here. Dan Darling of Regnum Crucis captains our Command Post Iran Briefing; also Dan's Iraq Briefing, and Dan's War Roundup.

• Michael Ledeen says, among other things, that the Iranians have chosen Muqtada al-Sadr to lead the Iraqi Hezbollah. One might parallel this with a separate story from ICT claiming that Imad Mugniyeh has arrived in Iraq to assist the Iranian designs in the country.

• Some Iraqi Shi'ites are apparently launching a religious cleansing campaign under the leadership of al-Sadr at the behest of the Iranian leadership.

• Nawad Obaid, a Saudi security analyst, has some interesting thoughts on why Iran protects al-Qaeda.

• A pact between the U.S. government and the electronic privacy company Anonymizer, Inc. is making the Internet a safer place for controversial websites and subversive opinions -- if you're Iranian. Details and the link to visit, right here.

• Iranian prosecutors are rejecting any charges against the two intelligence agents who beat Zahra Kazemi to death.

• In another demonstration in its exemplary virtue, Iran is stating that it has no reason to help the US in war against terrorism.

Meanwhile, additional Iran reports (and much else) can also be found today at Kate's Winds of War.

An Editorial on Anglo-Iranian Relations

This editorial might make for some interesting reading in the corridors of power at 10 Downing Street. Be sure to take a look.

(Also posted on my blog.)

North Korea to Raise Nuclear Capabilities

AP via Yahoo!

SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea's parliament re-elected Kim Jong Il as the isolated country's top leader on Wednesday and approved his government's decision to "keep and increase its nuclear deterrent force" to counter what it calls a hostile U.S. policy.

As Kim watched from a raised platform, the Supreme People's Assembly - a rubber-stamp body for government policy - adopted a statement that also backed the Foreign Ministry's announcement last week that North Korea no longer had "interest or expectations" for future talks on its nuclear program, according to the North's official news agency KCNA.

KCNA also reported that the parliament "decided to take relevant measures." The news agency did not elaborate.

More...

British Embassy shut after shots fired

Ananova:

The British Embassy in Tehran has closed after shots were fired at it from the street.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said five shots were fired at the building, adding it was too early to speculate on who was reponsible or any motive.

She said: "The bullets hit offices on the first and second floors of the building. Nobody was injured but the embassy has been temporarily closed for business."

More...